Sen. Marco Rubio: Obama's Cuba Deal Is Bad Foreign Policy

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And that changing relationship is something that Frank Calzon is questioning.

FRANK CALZON: The president has given Cuba - most of the Cuban government - most of what they want.

BLOCK: Calzon is executive director of a group called the Center for a Free Cuba, based in Washington. Like many Cuban-Americans, he says he's happy U.S. contractor Alan Gross is free, but he says President Obama has not held Cuba accountable on a number of fronts, especially human rights.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida is also railing against the president's move.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SENATOR MARCO RUBIO: This president has proven today that his foreign policy is more than just naive. It is willfully ignorant of the way the world truly works.

CORNISH: In Cuba, meanwhile, President Raul Castro sounded satisfied when he addressed his nation.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT RAUL CASTRO: (Foreign language spoken).

CORNISH: Raul Castro said today's deal was a result of dialogue directly with President Obama. He said the two were able to make advancements of interest to both the U.S. and Cuba. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.